Chapter 156: Carriages and Roads
Chapter 156: Carriages and Roads
On Tuesday morning, the moon had just completely disappeared over the horizon, and the sun would not rise for another hour, marking the darkest time of the day.
However, under the illumination of thousands of whale-fat street lamps, Redwood Avenue was as bright as day, and the usually quiet avenue was bustling with activity amidst the extravagant lighting.
Coal, flour, spices, lamps... various sizes of cargo boxes and baskets, expensive tableware stacked in piles, and mountains of silk ribbons and velvet...
Carriages carrying all sorts of supplies and gifts almost completely filled the spacious cargo road, forming a continuous line like intertwining dragons, winding their way towards Lane Manor at the end of Redwood Avenue...
Tsk, tsk, no wonder it's the Lionheart Duke's Marquis Ceremony, they're really splurging!
Peeking out from a two-wheeled light carriage, a young woman in a light blue dress looked at the seemingly endless line ahead, seemingly bothered by the cold autumn wind. She quickly retreated into the carriage, rubbing her frozen round and cute nose, and muttered,
"I made a mistake. If I had known it would be this cold today, I would have worn a few more layers."
"...
Watching the young woman, who was warming her hands against the cold and rudely stamping her feet, the middle-aged noblewoman sitting opposite her endured it and finally couldn't help but remind her,
"Your Highness Veronica, even if you sneaked out, please pay attention to your demeanor!"
"Spare me today. I'm so cold that I can't even think about my demeanor. Honestly, if the carriage could be warmed up right now, I'd be willing to do more than just pay attention to my demeanor; I'd even dance for you."
After sharing a playful moment with the middle-aged noblewoman, the young woman vigorously tugged at her woolen shawl, covering the two almost-exposed mounds that were about to burst out of her underskirt. She then leaned against the window and continued to observe the carriages outside.
"Quite a lot of people have come today..."
Squinting her eyes and looking at the nobility-only road, she counted the number of carriages that had passed by. With her charming appearance, the young woman smiled and said,
"Silver Chalice, Phoenix... In just this short time, three families have already passed by. It seems that the Lane family's inheritance is indeed tempting.
Whether they should be here or not, those with capabilities all want to take a bite out of it. Today's Marquis Ceremony will probably be quite lively!"
"...
I don't know if it will be lively or not, but this dress on you is a bit too "hot"!
Looking at the young woman's posture as she leaned against the window frame, the middle-aged noblewoman couldn't help but blink rapidly. She quickly reached out and pulled her back, her eyes filled with annoyance.
"Your Highness, pay attention to your demeanor! If your identity is exposed during the ceremony, the entire royal family will be shamed by your immodest attire! At least find a more fitting dress before coming out."
"This... I don't have a choice..."
Looking down at her dress, the young woman tugged at the pleats at her waist, allowing the noblewoman to see how much space there was. The noblewoman sighed and said,
"My dress size is unique. I usually have them custom-made. This is the most suitable one I could find in a hurry. You can see how much space there is at the waist; any larger, and it wouldn't fit."
"...
Looking at the dress, which was originally simple in design but now had an exceptionally striking effect on her body, the noblewoman's lips twitched involuntarily.
The young woman rudely snatched the shawl from the younger woman, then tore off the tassel from the carriage cushion and tied a dozen flower clasps on the side, creating a netted edge to cover the front of the shawl.
After adjusting the modified shawl on the younger woman, the middle-aged noblewoman let out a sigh of relief as she saw the young woman's chest hidden by the tasseled edge. She then gritted her teeth and threatened, "When we arrive at the manor later, even if you're boiling hot, you must not take off this shawl. Understand?"
The younger woman was taken aback. After examining the unusually thick shawl, a troubled expression appeared on her pretty face. "This is pure wool, and the stitches are very tight. Besides, there's a coal stove in the Lane Manor, so if I don't take off the shawl..."
"Your Highness, Veronica!"
"Okay, okay, I won't take off the shawl."
Seeing the "wear it or die" expression on the middle-aged noblewoman's face, the younger woman knew this was her limit. She sighed and obediently covered herself with the shawl, then leaned out the window again to look at the traffic outside.
"By the way, it was a good idea to have me take the cargo road instead of the nobility highway. If I had taken the highway, I wouldn't have seen so many interesting things."
Several carriages adorned with three-feathered copper crowns sped past on the nobility highway. The younger woman counted the number of nobles attending the ceremony and smiled at the worried middle-aged noblewoman, "Look, even the Cabbage Baron is here. I wonder if he brought his cabbage with him?"
Cabbage Baron? The middle-aged noblewoman furrowed her brows upon hearing the younger woman's words and asked, "Your Highness, what does 'Cabbage Baron' mean?"
"It's an insult." The younger woman explained with a smile, "The new Duke of Lionheart had a disagreement with the Cabbage Baron a few days ago. When he discovered that the baron had the title of a count but only three basic feathers on his crest, he poked the baron's chest with his finger and disdainfully called him a 'Cabbage Baron,' almost making him faint on the spot.
Afterward, the Cabbage Baron, upon waking up, decided to get revenge for the Duke's mockery. He placed a cabbage in his home and boasted that the Duke's dukedom would likely crumble faster than his cabbage.
After explaining the origins of 'Cabbage Baron' and 'Duke of Cabbage' to the middle-aged noblewoman, the younger woman smiled and said, "Although he's about to inherit the dukedom, the Duke of Lionheart gives off a very un-aristocratic vibe. That's why I insisted on coming to see the marquis ceremony; I wanted to see what other interesting things he might do."
Your Highness... you're still a young person who enjoys having fun...
As the younger woman laughed happily, no longer resembling her usual self who frowned and pondered all day, the middle-aged noblewoman's heart softened. She was about to remind her of something when a commotion suddenly erupted outside.
"Make way!"
"Move aside! Move aside!"
"The Royal Family is passing by! Make way!"
The two women in the carriage were surprised to see the temporary barrier dividing the cargo road and the nobility highway being roughly pushed aside and piled onto the roadside.
Next, two teams of brightly dressed guards, holding long poles with blunt ends used for crowd control, forcefully pushed numerous carriages that didn't move aside in time off the road, widening the center of Redwood Drive to make way for an extravagant carriage pulled by eight sturdy horses.
(End of Chapter)
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